Electric heater



July o. R. scHuRlG 2,209,832

ELECTRIC HEATER voriginal Filed Jly 31, v19:57

Inventr: otto R. schurig,

by M4476 H is Attorneg.

Patented July 3G, 1940 eATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC HEATER Otto R. Schurig, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric. Company, a corporation of New York original application July 31, 1937,v serial No. 156,736. Divided and this application October 20, 1938, Serial 4 Claims.

This invention relates to electric heaters, more particularly'to electric heaters of the type known as hotplates," and it hasjor its object an improved electric heater of this character which is 5 automatic in its operation.

While not limited thereto, this invention is particularly applicable to hotplates for use with coiee makers and the like, and it contemplates an improved automatically' controlledhotplate which turns off the heat to the coffee maker when the coiee infusion has been made.

In accordance with this invention, the hotplate includes a temperature responsive element which is located so as to be adjacent a wall of the coee maker when the coil'ee maker is placed on the hotplate. In one form of my invention, I prefer to mount'the temperature responsive element in a handle structure which is provided for the hotplate. The handle structure is elevated above the supporting surface of the plate and it is provided with achamber in which the temperature responsive element is positioned. The chamber is open toward the hotplate so that when the coffee maker is placed on it the temperature responsive element responds directly to the thermal conditions of the adjacent wall of the coiee maker.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 156,736, led July 31, 1937, and it is assigned to the same assignee as this copendingI application.

For amore complete understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing in which the single figure is an elevation in section illustrating a hotplate embodying this invention, and also showing a coiee maker positioned on the hotplate and in operative relation with the temperature responsive element of the hotplate.

Referring to the drawing, this invention has been shown in one form as applied to an electrically heated hotplate used to heat a coffee maker of the typedescribed and claimed in my above-mentioned copending application. As 45 shown, the hotplate comprises a helical resistance conductor I0 mounted upon a suitable supporting brick II.. 'I'he supporting brick is formed of any suitable heat resisting, electrically insulating material, and it' is provided with grooves I2 in which the resistance conductor Ill'gis mounted. The brick I I is housed in a casing I3 which in general has a pan-like shape. As shown, the casing I3 has in its bottom wall a depressed central section I4, and at the center of this depressed sec- 55 tion there is an upright seam |5. The brick is Y supported by the section of the bottom wall outside of the depressed section Il and by the upraised seam I 'I'he casing I3 is supported upon a suitable base I6. It is supported in spaced relation with the 5 base by means of a collar |'I mounted on a centrally arranged bolt I8. It is further attached to the base as by means of rivets I 3. The base is provided with thermally insulating feet 20.

Mounted on one side of the base are a pair of i0 twin supply terminals 2| which are adapted to receive the plug (not shown) of a suitable twin conductor supply cord.

interposed in the electrical connections between the terminals 2| and the resistance con- 16 ductor I0 is a suitable temperature responsive control element 22. This control element comprises a bimetallic thermostatic bar 23 mounted vertically within an electrically insulating housing 24 on the hotplate. This housing 2l, as 20 shown, is formed integrally with a handle stmoture 25 of the hotplate. The handle structure 25, it will be observed, is arranged to form the housing 24 and it also is provided with a handgrasping member 26 opposite the housing. Pref- 25 erably, the housing and hand-grasping portion will be molded of a suitable phenol condensation product, and it may be secured to the base I6 in any suitable manner, as by means of screw fastening means 21. The screws 21 function to secure 30 the handle 25 to the base through the medium of a bracket 28 attached to the base. This bracket in addition to supporting the handle functions to remove the handle thermally from the base. As shown, the bracket'28 also denes a socket 23 for 35 `receiving the plug (not shown) of the supply conductor referred to above.

The bimetallic thermostat bar 23 controls a spring switch member 30 which carries a movable contact 3| that cooperates with a iixed contact 40 32. The contact 3| is connected through the spring 30 with one end of the resistance conductor I Il, while the fixed contact 32 is connected with one of the twin supply terminals 2|. The other terminal 2| is connected with the other 45 end of the resistance conductor I0. Thus, the switch comprising the contacts 3| and 32 is connected in series with the resistance conductor Il so that when these contacts are opened the resistance conductor is deenergized, Whereas when 50 they are closed the resistance conductor is energized.

It will be understood that when the temperature of the thermostatic member 23 attains a predetermined high value, it

moves toward the right,

hand-grasping portion to the infusion receptacle as viewed in the ligure, and snaps the switch arm toward the right to break the contacts. The spring arm 3G is so arranged that when it is thus moved toward the right, it will remain in its righthand position and will not of itself reclose the contacts even though the thermostatic bar 23 is subsequently cooled and moves toward the left. The spring arm 30 is returned to its closed position manually by means of a push-button 33 which is accessible on the exterior of the housing 22. Preferably, this push button will face the so as to be encircled by this portion, as clearly shown in the drawing.

While the electric hotplate of this invention may be used to control the temperature of any suitable vessel placed upon it, I have illustrated this invention in connection with a coffee maker such as described and claimed in my above mentioned copending application.

Briefly, this coffee maker comprises an infusion or steeping vessel 34 which is closed by a cover 35. It also is provided with a pouring spout 36 and a handle 31 opposite the spout. Positioned within the infusion receptacle 34 is a container 38 for receiving the coffee grounds. This container is provided with a perforated bottom wall 39 in the form of a. screen, and also is provided with a similar cover 40 which is adapted to be placed above the coffee grounds 4I.

'I'he ground coffee container 38 upon a suitable shown, has an unright tubular standard 43 upon which the container 38lis mounted. The coiee container is provided with a latching member 44 which is arranged to be latched in a series of notches or recesses 45 provided on the upper end of the tube 43. The latch is biased to its locking position, as shown in the figure, by means of a weight 46, and attached to the latch is a iloat 41 which, as will be pointed out later, releases the latch.

The bell 42 normally rests on the bottom of the receptacle and is provided at its lower edge with openings 48 so that water which is introduced 34 can low into the bell. The bell is vented through the tube 43 so that the water can flow into the bell. At the top of the tube there is a valve 49 which may be depressed to release the air from the bell.

Pivotally mounted on the cover 35 is a latching member 50 arranged so that if the rod 43 should be elevated, the latch will engage one of the recesses 45 to hold the rod in its elevated position. This latch is releasible by means of a manually depressible pin 5|.

In the operation of the ycoiee maker, it will be understood that the colle ground container willl preferably be positioned slightly above the is mounted water level. For example, if the water level is -at the line indicated A the ground coiee container will occupy the relative position to this level shown in the drawing. To assist in. lo-

cating the container a fioat pan 52 is attached to the coiee container, as shown.

If now the water in the infusion receptacle be heated, the pressure generated under the bell will nally become so great that it will force the water out of the bell. The level of the water in the vessel 34, therefore, will rise, and will immerse the coffee grounds 4|. When the level rises sufficiently, it will cause the oat 41 to release the latch 44l and thereby release the ground coffee container. The coffee container, thereupon, will drop down in the vessel I0 and will rest on the top of the bell 42. Finalbell-like member 42 which, as

ly the bell d3 ldue to its buoyancy attained by the forcing out of the water and the generation of pressure under it will move upwardly and carry the ground coffee container out of the water. The tube 43 with the bell 42 and ground coiee container will be latched in their elevated positions by the member 30.

When the vessel 34 is placed on the hotplate its side wall will substantially close the open side ofthe chamber 22, as shown in the drawing; and as previously pointed out and shown in the drawing, the wall will be located adjacent the thermostatic element 23. The thermostatic element is thermally removed from` the heating resistance I0 and brick l I, rst by the base I8 which is relatively removed thermally from these elements, and second by the bracket 28 which still further removes the handle 26 thermally from the heating means; in addition, the handle which is formed of a phenol condensation product is a poor conductor of heat. Therefore, the thermostat 23 receives heat only from the adjacent walll of the vessel 34. And, as it is adjacent this wall `tion is not limited to the coffee maker of the type illustrated. It may be used to cut oi the heat from any suitable` vessel that is placed on the stove when the temperature of its contents attains a predetermined high value. For example, an ordinary coffee percolator may be heated and controlledby this stove;l or an ordinary pot of water may be so heated and controlled. It will be observed that except for the handle, the hotplate is entirely open so that vessels of various diameters may be placed on it and with a wall directly opposite the opening in the chamber 22 close to the thermostatic element 23.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood, of course, that I do not Wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made, and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover` any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

`What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An electric hotplate comprising a supporting member for the vessel, means for applying heat to a vessel placed on said supporting member, a thermostat controlling said heat applying means, a standard supporting said thermostat in an elevated position above said supporting member so that the thermostat is positioned opposite the side wall of a vessel placed on said supporting member to receive heat fromsaid side wall, and the supporting member except for said Vstandard being freely open to the reception of a vessel.

2. An electrically heated hotplate comprising a base, an electric heating element on said base adapted to support a vessel above it to heat the contents thereof, a handle attached tothe side of said base extending upwardly above the surface of said heating element, means thermally insulating the handle from said base, the handle having walls defining a chamber that opens only toward the vessel when placed on said heating element, and a thermostatic element in said chamber controlling said heating element and ex- .posed to the temperature of the adjacent wall of said vessel.

3. An electrically heated hotplate comprising a base, an electric heating element on said base adapted to support a vessel above it to heat the contents thereof, a handle attached to the side of said base extending upwardly above the surface of said heating element, the handle having walls defining a chamber that opens toward the vessel when placed on said heating element, and with a hand-grasping portion opposite said housing, a thermostatic cut-out switch connected in the circuit of said heating element mounted in said chamber and operative responsively to the temperature of the adjacent wall of a vessel placed on the heating element to move to a position to shut off the heat when said temperature attains a predetermined maximum, and a control element for said thermostatic-cut-out switch manually movable to reset the switch to reenergize said heating element protruding from said housing at a point opposite said hand-grasping portion.

4. An electrically heated hotplate comprising a base, an electric heating element on said base adapted to support a vessel above it to heat the contents thereof, means dening a chamber above the surface of said heating element having an opening facing a vessel when placed on said surface, and a thermostatic element in said chamber controlling said heating element and positioned opposite said opening to receive radiant heat from the adjacent wall of the vessel opposite said opening.

O'I'I'O R. SCHURIG. 

